Late last year, I went for a live service and something remarkable happened. It was remarkable because that season of my life was traumatic and I knew that without prayer it would be uneasy. So I desperately had to seek for the Lord’s intervention. To cut the short-story-short, as we began to pray in there cos’ it was a prayer service, I wanted to put all my prayer request out there before Him (God) but it’d turned out the other way. I found myself interceding and many at times I’d stop and ask myself “what’s wrong with me?” I came here to plea my cause before God and here am I interceding. I’d say to myself “let me intercede later!” but fortunately, the Spirit wouldn’t relieve me, so I went on interceding. That was not the end something else happened at that juncture of praying for the nation I became broken. Broken as in, I did cry and couldn’t stop doing so. Now, I must say I have had such beautiful experiences before and I believe you too have had some wonderful moments like that when you did become broken by God and suddenly begins to cry.
Well, for hours I poured out my heart before God in solid tears!
Now I have heard people say crying in prayer is WRONG! Some others also believe that God doesn’t answer our tears so it’s no use crying. This thing you may consider little has caused a lot of trauma among saints. So many believers are hardening their hearts in prayer. They prevent the tears from flowing, they tush up, keeping their face in a manner that seem very respectable. If you ask them, they’d say prayer is from the heart. Meanwhile, it’s very right to say prayer emanates from your heart and I don’t mean we’ve got to cry in all our communications with God, nevertheless, is hardening ones heart in a bid to claim some spiritual posture and exuberance scriptural? Is this what prayer is all about? You know I have heard folks criticize people who cry in prayers telling them that it’s not about the tears, whereas the Scripture never tells us so.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Psa 18:6 “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”
… Even into His ears! That means God hears our cry. Tears has a language in heaven. It’s not just some emotional outburst as you may think. Your tears are spiritual! O’ wish you got that one. There are times you don’t even know what to say or how to go about what to say to God. All you’ve got to do is let it out. Stay still and cry! Stop denying yourself this blessed privilege because of people’s criticism or speculations about prayer. You know how you should speak to your father. No one else can talk to Him the way you do! Your tears have meaning. For a lot of seasons, I did struggle with crying in prayer especially in public cos’ of speculations, God had to make me understand how precious they were in His sight! by the way, when i say tears – I’m not talking about some natural emotional breakdown due to the rhythm of the music or whatever. Tears here is Brokenness! The state of being broken (meek and lowly) before God. This is usually empowered by the in depth presence of the Spirit of God.
It’s becoming a problem for people to stay broken in prayer and this is quite wrong! If the presence of God hits you, Cry! David said I cried unto the Lord in my distress and He heardst me. Psalm 126:5 says —They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. You want to master the secret of always staying in Joy? Then learn to be broken always before God! Sometimes you don’t have to cry to be broken. But when there’s need to cry don’t ever deny God the pleasure of hearing them!
Meanwhile, Don’t partake in telling people “crying is wrong!”. It’s not wrong to cry as far it is unto God! It has never been wrong!
However, it is not the tears that God answers. He answers His word! If what you’re asking for doesn’t align with the Word of God, you’d cry all your life and not get any result. Will you get a BMW for your ten year old son even if he cries all night? Of course you won’t. That’s why you’ve got to pray the Word and cry the Word too! Let God’s word become your anchor today! When I cried in that service, God did answer me and, O’ wish you’d get what I’m saying. The way he’d answered my tears that day is something I don’t think I would ever want to forget! It’s remarkable! We all have that one thing we want God to do for us! That something you desperately desire! I still do, I don’t know about you. God desires to satisfy us in our youth! It’s His desire to bless us. But we’ve got to first cry out to Him! It’s not enough to say it! Cry out! Recall what Psalm 126:5 says —They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Where are the tears of your seed? It is time to add tears to that seed! But this time, we cry in the Wisdom of God’s Word!
The Word is powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword! It is a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path!
